


A Token Of Affection

by Amber_Aglio



Series: Amber's Fair Game Week 2020 [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Amusement Parks, Family Feels, Fluff, M/M, day 3: family/weapons, fairgameweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23201107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amber_Aglio/pseuds/Amber_Aglio
Summary: In Patch, Ruby and Yang convince everyone to go to the amusement park they used to frequent as kids. Amidst the chaos, Qrow has realizations about what family means to him.Written for Fair Game week day 3!
Relationships: Background Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long - Relationship, Background Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Amber's Fair Game Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665745
Comments: 20
Kudos: 105





	A Token Of Affection

**Author's Note:**

> This is legit just 4k words of family feels. It was the one piece that gave me a lot of trouble because I haven't been to many amusement parks in my own childhood and had no idea what was supposed to be there. Please, forgive any inconsistencies, I tried to do my research but it was mostly just an excuse to write all the teams+Penny+Fair Game+Tai as a family.
> 
> And special thanks to [thedarkpoet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkpoet/pseuds/thedarkpoet) for being the most patient and understanding beta!

Qrow didn’t want to wake up. No, really, he had no idea why the alarm sounded so early - he could afford a few more minutes… or even hours of sleep. It’s been decades since his academy days, years since he’d taught at Signal.

He could sleep in, dammit.

If only the alarm would stop blaring.

And suddenly it did, much to Qrow’s relief. He turned over, away from the annoying scroll, and burrowed further into the blankets. The nights in Patch had been getting chilly recently, but at least he didn’t suffer as much as he used to…

A tender kiss to his bare shoulder reminded him why. Qrow scooted back into the warm body that must have turned the alarm off. Good. There was a reason Qrow kept him.

He felt Clover’s laughing breath on the back of his neck and hid his own smile in the pillow.

“Too early,” Qrow mumbled, “Sleep.”

Two delectably muscled arms wrapped around his midsection, and Clover nuzzled into his hairline lovingly, “Oh yeah?”

“Mhm.” Qrow hated how awake Clover sounded, but the cuddles were something he could get on board with. He hugged Clover’s arm and sighed, making himself comfortable.

The deep rumbles of a laugh resonated with Qrow’s back. He huffed and slurred, “Stop laughin’, I’m tryna sleep.”

He was gently turned around and frowned, not opening his eyes. He missed the pillow, but Clover’s chest made a wonderful substitute, so Qrow didn’t protest and snuggled closer into his boyfriend’s embrace, inhaling the comforting scent of… home.

Yes, he thought distantly, even as his mind struggled to drift off. Clover is home.

Another sweet kiss was pressed to the top of his head, and Clover whispered, a smile in his voice, “You know, if you wanted to stay in bed that much, maybe we shouldn’t have agreed to take the kids to the amusement park this early today.”

And yes, Qrow wanted to stay warm and comfortable  _ that much _ … wait. Rewind.

He surged up, breaking free of Clover’s embrace, panic shocking him instantly awake.

“We’re going to the park today!” He shouted, much to Clover’s amusement. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I’m waking you up now,” Clover pointed out. “We’re not late, don’t worry, I’m pretty sure  _ someone _ wouldn’t have let us oversleep even if we tried.”

Qrow scrambled for his scroll to check the time. Clover was right - they still had ample time to get ready, and Qrow exhaled in relief. Missing this trip was something he wouldn’t have forgiven himself for - not after so many years of deliberately keeping away from all the family events.

Things had changed.

He raised his face to Clover, “Thanks… And sorry for being difficult.”

Clover laughed it off, as usual, but Qrow relished in the small smile the apology brought out. “You’re not difficult, you’re just adorably grumpy. Now go shower and get dressed, or we  _ will _ be late. Or at least we’ll miss breakfast, and will have to survive the entire day on candy and enthusiasm.”

Qrow groaned, and, in an impressive feat of inner strength, overcame the desire to fall back into bed (and Clover’s arms). He made his way to the shower, only stumbling twice. It was going to be a long day, and Qrow was very much looking forward to it.

***

Thanks to Clover’s gentle shepherding, everyone was ready at the agreed time. Okay, that wasn’t exactly fair - Both Qrow and Tai did their share of checking in on the kids and finding hair ties and yelling that breakfast was ready, but as far as Qrow was concerned, the only reason everything went smoothly was Clover. Might be the military discipline or something, but regardless, when it was about time to leave, Tai just shoved them both into the truck with a desperate plea for Qrow to stop staring at his boyfriend with “goo-goo eyes”.

Qrow, of course, was doing no such thing. He was just… looking. You couldn’t fault him, could you? Clover was rather lively that morning, so excited to spend time with all the kids.

Not to mention that hearing any of them say, “Thanks, Uncle Clover!” made Qrow weak in the knees. That man. Effortlessly becoming an honorary uncle to ten kids shouldn’t be so attractive.

They arrived at the amusement park with only minor incidents - but as long as no one got seriously maimed and no Grimm attack happened, Qrow considered it a win. They all filed out of the car and Qrow grinned as the kids chattered between themselves excitedly.

“Okay, everyone!” Tai tried to gather their attention, with mixed results. “I know you - well most of you - are not children anymore, but please try not to wander off too much…”

“Come on, I have to show you the rides!” Before Tai could finish speaking, Yang grabbed Blake’s arm and dragged her to the entrance. Everyone else quickly followed, finding the things they wanted to see or show each other. Only Ren and Oscar sent the adults apologetic glances before they, too, were swept up in the madness that is nine teenagers in an amusement park.

Tai was left gaping at the gates, watching as Penny used her rocket thrusters to catch up with Ruby.

He turned to Qrow and Clover, incredulity all over his face.

Qrow shrugged, and Clover patted Tai on the shoulder comfortingly.

“This was supposed to be a family outing!” Tai complained.

Clover chuckled sympathetically, “Just give them a little time. They’ll tire themselves out soon enough and will all flock together.” He seemed reasonably sure of his assessment and Tai relaxed a bit.

In the end, Clover was only partially right. Yes, the kids gravitated towards each other despite breaking up into smaller groups, excited to share their impressions. No, they did not tire themselves out and after several hours Qrow began to doubt they ever would.

Tai was in full mother-hen mode. Ever since their return from Atlas, there was an underlying tension in everyone, the nervousness coming from knowing what exactly was wrong with the world. So when Oscar off-handedly mentioned that he’d never been to an amusement park, Yang and Ruby had exchanged glances and that same night cornered their father and uncles about a big trip.

Despite easily giving in to his daughters, Tai was still worried. He tried to keep an eye on everyone, working himself into anxious frettingety whenever one of the kids was out of his sight for longer than a few minutes. In the end, Qrow had to buy him ice-cream, look him in the eye and tell him that if anything went seriously wrong, they would hear it immediately, because those kids and subtlety did not mix at all.

Clover seemed sceptical about such an approach, but Qrow knew his brother-in-law - and true enough, after that pep talk Tai seemed to relax and enjoy the day a lot more. He still kept an eye on the kids, especially his daughters, but the previous level of obsessiveness was gone.

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby’s voice dragged Qrow out of his thoughts and he turned, finding his youngest niece near one of the booths, holding a rifle. Yang was nearby, bent in half with laughter, Blake remaining impassive save for a small smile.

“Uncle Qrooooow! There’s something wrong with this game! You have to avenge me!” Ruby wailed dramatically, sending Yang into another fit of laughter.

Oh no. No way she would convince Qrow to take part in that. He knew with certainty that all those games were rigged. No thank you, he’d rather remain the cool aloof uncle than be flagged a loser with no marksmanship skills.

“Nope,” he said seriously, “Aren’t you ashamed? You’re the one with a sniper rifle here.” 

“Uncle Qrooooow!” Ruby turned her puppy-dog eyes on him. “Please, please, pretty please?”

“No, no way. I’m too old for this stuff.” Qrow was adamant.

“You never say that when you play video games with us!” Yang replied with a cheeky grin, earning a dirty look from Qrow. “Just saying, are you sure there’s no other reason?”

“I…” Qrow started only to be interrupted by his boyfriend.

“That’s fine, I’ll do it.” Clover grinned and offered his hand for the rifle.

Qrow was about to protest, but thought better of it. Instead, he grinned, “That’s right, you got a brand new uncle to torment, better use your chance before you scare him off.”

Clover looked torn between fluster and indignation, “Hey! I’m not going anywhere.” He turned to the game, focusing on the cartoonish Grimm used as targets.

Maybe Clover had never played one of those games, Qrow mused. Maybe he had no idea it was totally rigged.

Clover flicked his pin and raised the rifle to his shoulder. Qrow watched in astonishment as his first shot actually hit one of the larger targets, if barely. Huh. But would his luck hold for nine more rounds? Qrow doubted it…

And then Clover shot again, and again it met the mark. With growing bewilderment Qrow watched as one after another the cardboard Grimm fell. In the end, Clover turned back to him with a triumphant smile and before Qrow was blinded by the brightness and the sincerity of it, a fleeting thought appeared,  _ I’m about to be replaced as the favorite uncle… _

True enough, in a flash Ruby was hanging off of Clover’s arm. “Uncle Clover! You’re the best!”

“Wow, I’m actually impressed!” Yang looked it, too, earning a cute giggle from Blake. Qrow had no idea the girl could even make such a sound, but today was a day of discoveries.

“How?!” he could only gasp, making Clover wink at him.

Ruby stated proudly, “He got really lucky, right?”

Clover chuckled and ruffled her hair, “No, that was all skill. You can’t win those games by luck alone.”

Ruby pouted, but then suddenly remembered the most important part, “Oh! You get to choose the prize now! Can we get that dog? He looks like Zwei!”

Clover gently pried the overexcited girl off his arm and shook his head, “Sorry, kid, I already know what I’m going to ask for my prize.”

“If you say  _ a kiss _ , I will shoot you,” Qrow said automatically, making Blake giggle even harder.

“Okay,” Clover agreed easily, “I suppose I’ll have to win that in a different way, then. For now…”

He returned to the booth, talking to the owner in a low voice, and soon returned with a toy of his choice.

Qrow suddenly thought that he should have offered Clover a kiss and made the man forget about the stupid trophies.

In his hands Clover had a huge black bird. It was extremely ugly, in Qrow’s opinion. It was also, undeniably, a corvid. 

“There you go,” Clover handed the bird to Qrow. 

“What?” Qrow asked flatly. He looked between the toy and Clover and wondered how anyone could think it was a suitable prize for any achievement.

“I won it for you, so it’s yours now!” Clover shook the toy for further emphasis and Qrow faintly heard a twin  _ awww _ from his nieces. Qrow took the bird reluctantly, holding it as far away from himself as he could.

“And what do you suggest I do with it?” he asked.

Clover shrugged, smiling his perfect boy-scout smile. “Whatever you want? It’s pretty huggable.”

Qrow could feel that. Despite the ugly appearance, the toy was extremely soft to the touch, made from some fluffy material that looked a bit like feathers.

“Then I guess I know which of you will be sleeping with me tonight,” Qrow announced, more for show than really annoyed at Clover winning his niece’s heart once again. Clover took it in stride, laughing and waving goodbye to the exasperated-looking stall owner.

A loud banging sound rang in the distance and Qrow froze, “Oh no.”

“Oh yes!” Yang yelled, grabbed Blake’s hand and was off towards the sound.

“Oh! Nora must have found the strength tester!” Ruby exclaimed and was off in a rush of petals before anyone could say anything. Qrow sighed. They should probably head there as well, in case they had to pay for damages once Yang and Nora start getting competitive. Away from the kids’ eyes, Qrow hugged the plush crow closer to himself.

“I knew you’d like it.” Clover sounded amused and Qrow couldn’t fault him for that. He must be a sight - a famous Huntsman holding a giant huggable toy. Oh, the indignity.

“How did you do it?” Qrow looked at his boyfriend from above the toy’s head. Its soft beak was pressing into Qrow’s collarbone and it tickled a bit, but Qrow ignored it.

“What? The game?” Clover asked and Qrow nodded, impatient for an explanation.

“Those games are always rigged so you can’t win.” His words only made Clover smile and slip a hand around Qrow’s waist. The older man pretended to be too interested in the answer to protest.

“Kinda,” Clover started explaining, “In the shooting games, the rifles usually have a misplaced aim. I used to watch those things all the time back in Mantle when I was a kid. The question is which way and how bad it is, but once you’ve figured it out, taking the targets out isn’t that difficult. I just…”

“Took a lucky guess on your first shot…” Qrow exhaled. “Right. You lucky son of a bitch.”

“Hey, this son of a bitch won you a personal mascot!” Clover laughed. “You could be a little more grateful.”

“Oh, I’m very grateful,” Qrow couldn’t help but laugh in return, swatting at Clover with the bird’s wing. “See? That’s me being grateful.”

Clover shielded himself with his arm, a theatrically horrified expression on his face. “Oh no, forgive me, oh mighty Huntsman Branwen! I promise, next time I will perform a feat more worthy of your grace and beauty. Slay a Nevermore, for example. Or a whale Grimm!”

They both dissolved into a fit of laughter until another scream alerted them of the need to be elsewhere. It wasn’t fair to leave Tai alone with this natural disaster.

On their way to the strength testing machine they ran into Penny and Weiss. They both had equally slack-jawed expressions of complete awe. 

“This. Is. Amazing! I can’t believe there is actually a place like that.” Weiss was so different from the tight-laced girl Qrow had met during his visit to Beacon two years ago, he almost couldn’t believe his eyes. He was hit with the sudden urge to punch Jaques Schnee in the face, even if the man was already in prison. 

“I agree completely!” Penny was looking around, her neck twisting at angles that looked like they shouldn’t be possible. “It is a truly wondrous place! I have never seen one like it.”

“Me neither. My family considered amusement parks too… vulgar for our station,” Weiss muttered in distaste and Qrow could feel his knuckles itch.

“Hey!” Qrow called out to them. “You guys ever tried cotton candy?”

Penny shook her head emphatically, and Weiss looked at him with suspicion, “Is that supposed to be edible?”

“Oh no…” Clover exhaled and Qrow gasped theatrically.

“I cannot believe this! We have to rectify it, immediately. Come on, I’m going to blow your minds.” He ushered both girls to the nearest food stall, taking great delight in watching their eyes widen at the sight of pink confectionery. He bought a stick for each of them and stifled a laugh at the sight of Penny gobbling it all down - the girl really needed to learn to savor food, but that was difficult when you lived under one roof with Nora. Weiss, on the other hand, took a careful sniff of it and then proceeded to take a tiny bite. Her expression changed into one of disbelief and she bit off more, completely forgetting her manners.

“Shis ish…” she covered her mouth, horrified, and swallowed before continuing. “This is delicious!”

Qrow caught a sight of Clover’s smile and returned it, hiding his face in the bird in his arms. Those kids deserved to be carefree children today, and Weiss and Penny had a lot of lost time to make up for.

With this distraction, the strength tester was already in tatters by the time they arrived. Tai and, surprisingly, Oscar were talking to an irate, intimidating man. Qrow took one look at him and decided he’d better stay away and not aggravate the situation. Clover sighed and whispered, “Well, it couldn’t be worse than an angry Winter, right?” and headed to the trio with a charming friendly smile at the ready.

Qrow mentally wished him luck and went off in search of the kids to make sure they were not causing even more trouble.

He found Nora at an eating contest, shoving burgers into herself as Ren cheered from the sidelines with surprising enthusiasm. Qrow deemed that safe enough and continued on his way to find the rest of the troublemakers.

He arrived just in time to save Jaune from being convinced by Yang and Ruby to try a ride that Qrow knew was not for weak stomachs.

“I don’t know… It doesn’t look exactly like something I would like…” Jaune protested uncertainly. There was no one else around to save him, and as soon as his eyes locked on Qrow’s, he started making pleading faces, nodding furiously at the ride and shaking his head with vigor. Qrow sighed and looked at the plush crow in his arms.

“Should we take pity on him?” he asked the fluffy monstrosity. It glared at him with empty plastic eyes and Qrow sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think they’ll go through with it either, but if they do, we’ll have a lot of complaints about vomit boy.”

“Oi!” he shouted to the girls. “Have you got your Grimm lollipops yet? I think they were running out of stock. Might want to get some for your friends, too.”

Ruby and Yang exchanged glances, torn between keeping up with the teasing and finding their favorite childhood candy. Sentimentality won and they ran off, promising to get some for Qrow and Jaune, too.

Jaune slumped onto a bench in relief, “Thank you. I have a hard time saying no when they gang up on me like that.” 

Qrow nodded. He knew first hand the force that his nieces could be when they wanted something, and Jaune probably hadn’t worked up the immunity yet.

“Uh… What’s that?” Jaune asked hesitantly. He pointed at the toy in Qrow’s embrace. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, that is. Yeah.”

“It’s a bird.” Qrow replied simply, making Jaune snap his jaw closed. “I’m gonna go check on others, try not to get in trouble, ‘kay?”

He was almost about to leave when he heard Jaune’s excited voice say, “Oh wait, did Clover get it for you? That’s great! It’s really romantic, in all the movies…”

Qrow whipped back to glare at the boy, who swallowed, intimidated. “I mean.., I will do my best to keep out of trouble. Sir.”

Qrow scowled and hugged the toy closer to himself. Was it really such a big deal?

He ran into an exhausted Tai on his way back to the remnants of the strength tester.

“How did it go?” Qrow asked, a little worried, but Tai just waved him off.

“Your man has a talent for dealing with people. He’s… handling it. I think. And Oscar is great at using mature reasoning and innocent looks to sway chances in his favor, so I think between the two of them the problem is solved.”

Then Tai’s eyes flickered down and red lights of alarm started flashing in Qrow’s head.

“Is that…”

“Don’t you dare.” Qrow tried to sound intimidating, but if it wasn’t enough to silence Jaune, it sure as hell wasn’t enough to silence his former teammate.

“Oh! So your knight in shining armor gifted you with a token of his devotion?” Tai grinned, and it didn’t promise anything good.

“Stop it, Tai…” Qrow took a step back. He had half a mind to turn into an actual bird and run, but that would merely postpone the conversation and give Tai more ammunition.

“Oh, no, no… It’s been far too long since I got to tease you like that, I’m not missing this chance.” The enthusiasm on Tai’s face was truly frightening.

Qrow tried to defend himself. “Listen, it’s just a toy… He won it because Ruby asked him to avenge her honour as a marksman.” 

“Oh really? Then why is it you and not Ruby who’s holding this charming… oh, what is it… a crow?” Qrow resigned himself to a disgraceful defeat. There was no getting out of this one. “So, I wonder, when is he making an honest man out of you?”

Qrow almost tripped over his own feet at that, spluttering.

“Tai!” he hissed. “Seriously, drop it, I’ve known him for what, less than six months?”

Tai shrugged, his expression turned serious, “And you’ve been through hell and back together, haven’t you? I think that’s worth a dozen dates. Look, all I’m saying is that he’s a catch and you could do a lot worse.”

Qrow clutched the plush bird tighter and looked down. The dirt spot near his boot suddenly appeared infinitely exciting. “I know…” he grumbled. “Which is why I don’t want you scaring him away, okay? Because the same way, he could do a lot better. I like it as it is. Wouldn’t want to ruin it by rushing things.”

The hug was unexpected. With everything that had happened between them, and with Raven, and Summer, and Ozpin, and kids, Qrow couldn’t remember the last time they had actually hugged.

Not to say it was unwelcome. Quite the opposite - it felt right, like… coming home. 

That probably made sense. Even if neither of them considered Raven family at this point, they were still family to each other.

“It’s good to see you happy,” Tai said quietly, patting Qrow’s back before pulling away. “I don’t tell you that nearly enough, but you also deserve happiness, you know? So don’t let the past get in the way of it.”

Qrow could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and buried his face in the fluff of the toy bird. He’d spent so long waiting for someone to say those exact words, and now, ever since Clover had said them, everyone seemed to be repeating the sentiment.

It wasn’t unwelcome, but it still felt strange.

“Everything okay over here?” And there he was, the culprit. Qrow raised his head to smile at Clover and nodded, not fully trusting his voice. Clover raised an eyebrow, but didn’t push, much to Qrow’s relief. “I just wanted to say that Nora won that burger competition and you might want to see how she’s using her prize.”

Qrow felt a tickle of worry at those words, but Clover’s serene expression reassured him that everything was fine. And indeed, they found the kids all sat on a patch of grass, talking and giggling as they inhaled candy. 

Turned out that Nora’s prize was a bunch of bright pink hair ties, and she was using them now to give Ren a makeover. He looked resigned and slightly amused as she carefully braided another portion of his hair.

Qrow had to admit, the color fit right in with Ren’s eyes and the color scheme of his clothes. And all the petting must have felt nice, giving Yang and Blake ideas. Qrow watched in amazement as Blake carded her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair, Yang looking absolutely relaxed with her head on Blake’s lap.

Yang. Letting someone touch her hair.

Wow, this girl really was here to stay, wasn’t she?

“You want me to pet your hair, too?” Clover leaned to his ear to whisper. “I don’t think it’s long enough for braids, but I can try.”

Qrow scowled and batted him off with the bird. Clover just chuckled and dropped onto the ground by a large tree, patting his lap invitingly. Qrow decided to compromise and leaned against Clover’s side. There. He still got his affection, but not in such an embarrassing way.

“This is nice,” he said, looking at the kids and watching them laugh like he hadn’t seen in a long time. “To just… do fun stuff together. As a family.”

Clover nodded and reached to cover Qrow’s hand with his, intertwining their fingers.

“Yeah…” he exhaled. “Very nice.”

They stayed like that for a while, not talking, just basking in each other’s presence and keeping an eye on the kids. Qrow was teased a bit more about the plush crow, but he refused to blush any more. He just hugged the crow, hugged Clover and resolutely ignored any attempts to ruffle his feathers.

They eventually left the park, having exhausted all that it had to offer. Qrow watched affectionately as Oscar, Weiss and Penny expressed their wonder at having seen all the rides and games for the first time. Tai was teasing Ruby and Yang with stories of their childhood and their previous trips here, long-forgotten and probably wildly exaggerated. Blake giggled, holding Yang’s hand firmly and listening with rapt attention. Jaune, in turn, started remembering what it had been like to visit the amusement park with his sisters when he was a kid and how it was different from the park in Patch. Nora kept fiddling with Ren’s hair, much to his fond exasperation.

Yeah, Qrow thought, he could get used to it. And as he squeezed Clover’s hand before getting in the truck, he thought he could get used to having someone by his side, too.

For the first time in his life, family sounded like something to be cherished, not feared.

**Author's Note:**

> Visit my [tumblr](https://amber-aglio.tumblr.com/) to watch me scream about Fair Game!


End file.
